During this week of Spring Break, our cleaning company will be buffing tile floors around campus. Please be careful when you see a "Wet Floor" sign as the floor may be extremely slick. We appreciate your patience during this cleaning process. Becky Chauncey

The 2013 – 2014 membership drive for the VCCA is upon us, which means that it’s time to join or renew your Virginia Community College Association membership!

The Virginia Community Colleges Association is the longest serving professional development venue in the 43-year history of the VCCS, and it provides many excellent opportunities for networking and new learning experiences. Nowhere else can you gather with others who believe as you do, who believe in the mission of the community colleges in Virginia, and who seek to gain new perspectives in their professional development.

Supported by Chancellor DuBois, the VCCA is an organization of like-minded individuals who believe in the value of higher education and the value that an educated populace brings to their colleges, communities, and to the state as a whole. The Virginia Community College System is a vital component of the economic wellbeing of the Commonwealth. The VCCA is the only organization within the System that is open to anyone who shares in the commitment to the community colleges, be they administrators, faculty, classified staff, part-time employees, students, or just friends of Virginia’s community colleges.

2013 – 2014 Membership Contest Dates: Now through June 14

At the 2012 VCCA Annual Conference Assembly of Delegates Meeting, the elected delegates voted to increase the annual membership dues. Dues for faculty and support staff have been increased to $25 beginning with the 2013-2014 membership.

Be one of the FIRST to join VCCA or renew your membership and your name will be entered in a drawing for a $50 check!

College contacts that send in at least 7 early memberships will also be entered in a drawing for a $50 check!

2013-2014 Membership dues are $25 for faculty and support staff.

The drawing will take place on or just after June 25!

Click on this link and select Membership from the top menu bar to access the Membership form: http://www.vccaedu.org/

Many of you may have noticed that the image on the screen in the classrooms is now wider than it is tall (much like a movie screen or newer television). This ratio of wide to tall is called "Screen Ratio". The standard that many of you are used to is 4:3. This is an image that is nearly square, much like older televisions. Unfortunately, though this screen ratio is little in use anymore, most PowerPoint slides are still being made to this ratio meaning either your slides don't fill the screen, or are stretched wide in an unappealing manner. So, what do we do???

In Powerpoint, you can change your slides to be 16:9. This is much closer to the actual ratio of your image in the classroom (and on most of your computers as well). Do change the screen ratio:

1. Open PowerPoint

Open PowerPoint

Click on the Design tab at the top of the application

Click on Page Setup

Under "Slides sized for" select "On-screen Show (16:9)

Now your slides will be the right size and ratio. Please note: Most slides will look okay, but some are very likely to look very bad. PowerPoint will do its best to move things around to fit, but it's not usually very good at it. So, if you resize your slides, be sure to build in some time to tweak them all to make them look good.

If you make new slides, be sure to change to the new 16:9 ratio before you start designing your slides, and everything will turn out alright.

If you've got any questions about this, reach out to the Media Geeks. We're always happy to help!

Did you work with a Virginia Western career coach while in high school? A study is being conducted to explore your college success. Participants will complete a questionnaire and a one-on-one interview. If you have completed 12 credit hours, have a 2.0 GPA, worked with a career coach and you want to highlight your college success contact Melinda Hill at mhill@virginiawestern.edu or call 540.819.2231.

The Teaching and Learning with Technology Committee is excited to offer some small grant opportunities to encourage innovative and emerging technology in teaching and learning. These awards are typically NOT funded by the VCCS’s Professional Development Initiatives, the Equipment Trust Fund or the College’s regular operating budget. Faculty and staff should consider proposing innovative and emerging technology projects that support the College’s vision statement. The window for submission is short so PLEASE, we encourage any and all innovative ideas. Deadline for submission is Friday, March 15th at 4 pm. Follow the link below to apply: